Not So Secret Admiring
by petlovr96
Summary: A new story idea I've been dying to write. Basically, Sonic bribes Shadow to keep Amy away from him. Unhappily, Shadow obeys Sonic and starts his job, but will keeping Amy away from Sonic end up bringing her and Shadow closer together? Let's find out! 3
1. Chapter 1

Not So Secret Admiring

Chapter One: The Deal

A clear cerulean blue sky brilliant enough to give off its own natural light hung over the city of Station Square and its suburbs. In the city, blinding light reflected off of the many skyscrapers and automobiles that made up the magnificent metropolis. The busy sounds of cars honking, people talking, and feet shuffling echoed through the city. Despite these disruptions however, birds still chirped happily in perfect harmony in the dazzling city. All in all, it was a great start to the summer season for all of the residents— but one!

Sonic the Hedgehog ran at supersonic speeds through the crowded streets of Station Square. The wind ripped fiercely through his quills with every air resisting step he took. He felt his leg muscles contracting constantly as his feet pushed forcefully off the pavement and propelled him forward at an amazing speed. Everything he passed was nothing more than an unidentifiable blur and that was just the way he liked it!

The sun shone brightly as it slowly made its way west in the vibrant and lively blue sky. "This is the perfect weather for running," the hero mused, "Too bad I'm not running for entertainment!" And it was true, for the majority of the day he had been running away from his biggest fan and self-proclaimed girlfriend, Amy Rose. As he ran through the streets at an incredible velocity he analyzed his situation in his head, _'I can't go on living like this every day…! I wonder if Amy will __ever__ stop this constant pursuit.'_ He slowly turned his head to see behind him, hoping to have lost the girl in the city's crowded streets. However, the pink hedgehog remained hot on his trail, visible in the distance behind him.

"Sonic!" the young girl called out, sprinting after him, "Wait up, won't you?"

'_How did she get so fast?'_ the cerulean hedgehog inquired, surprised to see Amy catching up to him. _'It must be all this __practice__ she's getting,'_ he noted. He then cleared his mind for the moment and refocused on running, increasing his speed once again and losing sight of the admiring girl.

Amy watched as the distance grew and the blue hedgehog became smaller and smaller in front of her eyes. Her never-dying determination to capture and conquer the love of her life encouraged her heart to continue on after him. Not wanting to give up the chase, she sped off as well. As she ran through the city, she evaded cars, buildings and other people, carefully keeping an eye on her target. However, the sunlight that bounced off the crystal clear windows of the edifices handicapped her vision. But none of it mattered because nothing could stop her from running after the one thing she desired the most in her life: Sonic's love. _'I will catch you Sonic, and then you'll see that we __do__ belong together,'_ she thought, and on that note, she persistently followed the teasing stream of blue light that would lead her to her hero.

Though he couldn't see her anymore, Sonic knew that Amy was still running after him, _'She's very…headstrong. A little speed won't make her give up that easily!'_ Rapid steps began to slow down as he took some time to examine his surroundings. He was now reaching the outskirts of the city. _'Maybe I can lose her somewhere…'_ he placed his right hand over his eyes and began to make out the tree line of a deep forest. The woodland was located to the left of the main street that led out of the city and it looked quite easily to get lost in. As he grew closer to the forest he noticed the deep green trees and shadows that danced between the streams of light that shot down through the thick canopy onto the shaded forest floor. It seemed safe enough to Sonic so he shrugged and rushed into the thick woods.

Meanwhile Amy ran the last stretch that was left of the metropolis. '_I'm at the end of the city now. Where could he have run off to?'_ she wondered while jogging, taking time to figure out his new location. _'Hmm. Knowing Sonic, he probably wouldn't just go along this open road out of the city. That's too __easy__,'_ analyzed the pink hedgehog as she stopped to catch her breath. The warm summer air combined with the constant and persistent running was beginning to make her feel worn out. Her leg muscles burned, her feet ached, and she was sweating from all the effort she had put into the chase.

After a few deep breaths, the rose hedgehog began to look around. Her emerald eyes explored her surroundings and then locked on a deep forest nearby her. It seemed to almost welcome her with its cool depths guarded by towering trees and bushy foliage. "I bet he's in there," she said to herself, walking closer to the green forest.

Small steps led the petite hedgehog to the edge of the woods. She placed her small, gloved hands on the rough bark of a slim tree and peered into the wooded area. Faint rays of light shined off of the vegetation which kept the location fairly illuminated and made the forest look enchanted. Then, Amy looked down at her white trimmed, red dress and red and white boots. "If I knew I would be hiking, I would've worn something else," she sighed. She lifted her gaze back to the woods and watched the trees longingly. _'He could be so close. I can't just let him get away because my clothes could get a little dirty. I have to try!'_ she reasoned.

Taking a deep breath, the pink hedgehog started to jog through the forest. She made sure to keep an eye on the ground every once in a while to avoid tripping over tree roots, rocks, twigs, and other objects that were part of the wilderness. She couldn't move very fast because of all the trees and other obstacles she had to doge, but it worked to her advantage. She didn't want to risk passing and missing Sonic by moving too fast anyway.

'_My patience will pay off, right?'_ thought Amy, jogging at a steady pace while scanning the area for the blue hedgehog. The sun's light began to dim down as she proceeded deeper into the forest. The shade from the trees grew more ominous and the darkness from their shadows was becoming almost tangible. "I hope I find him soon," she whispered.

'_This place doesn't look as friendly as it did when I came in,'_ Sonic mentally noted as he continued to run through the woods. He began to notice the eeriness of his surroundings with every step that took him deeper into the forest. Little lighting came through the high canopy above, it was impossible to tell whether or not it was still day time. Dodging the many trees, branches, and roots became a challenge since he could hardly see anything that wasn't directly in front of him.

'_Maybe it was a bad idea trying to lose Amy here. Now she's probably lost and more importantly: not safe,'_ the cerulean hedgehog looked back, _'Maybe I should go back and look for her.'_ He stopped for a moment and thought about the situation, _'I shouldn't risk her safety, even if I am running away from her. I'll go to her, but maybe I should try a different route for better coverage.' _Just as he was thinking about which direction to go, he heard a twig snap somewhere in the distance. "That must be Amy!" he exclaimed and immediately rushed after the echoing crack of the dry, lifeless wood.

His light source was still depleting and much of his attention was focused on avoiding obstacles as he headed to the source of the disruption. Cold wind whistled though the leaves, while the shadows taunted him as he looked around for the rose hedgehog. Sonic relied on his ears and his feet to find at least some source of life, _'How had I not noticed how __quiet__ it is here?'_ Becoming slightly discouraged, he began to slow down again to gather his resolve when he heard faint footsteps close to his left. Without a second thought, he followed the sound, his feet pushing off the ground at full speed.

The chilly wind became ice through his quills, attempting to freeze the hedgehog still. The light was close to gone as he grew closer to his target location. The darkness around him became solid walls that encased him while he sprinted towards his objective. _'It's so dark, Amy must be freaked out by now,'_ Sonic thought. The footsteps had become louder, and he could tell that they were close.

The blue hedgehog could barely make out the flat grass of a small clearing from behind the trees. Despite being free of trees, the surrounding boarder shaded the area— though brighter than the rest of the location, the dim light that entered was barely enough to see clear. He figured Amy was probably pacing around in the clearing. Relieved, he took two extra strong bounds and charged into the opening. As he made his way to the clearing, he collided with a strong barrier and fell to the ground. He grunted and leaned on his left elbow, while he rubbed his head with his right hand. Then, he looked up at the cause of his tumble. He blinked once in slight shock and then grinned at the obstruction.

"So it's you," Sonic declared.

A crimson streaked, ebony hedgehog looked down at the blue hero by his feet. "So it is, Faker. I know the light is minimal but surely your vision isn't that weak," he taunted callously, glaring down at him. Shadow had been walking through the woods thinking in peace, when out of nowhere the blue _imbecile_ had barreled into him.

Sonic chuckled at his bitterness, _'Typical Shadow.'_

The moment was interrupted when both hedgehogs heard a familiar feminine voice calling out, "Sonic? Sonic where are you?"

Sonic turned to the direction of the voice, _'If she can find me this easily then maybe I shouldn't be worried after all. But still, I shouldn't leave her out here alone… but how can I make an escape and still ensure her safety?'_

Shadow continued to watch him in annoyance and crossed his arms. "Your fan club awaits," he declared, interrupting the hero's thoughts for a moment as they both heard Amy's anxious calls getting closer and closer.

The blue hero brought his hand to his chin. He looked up at Shadow's emotionless face and started to plan his getaway. A steady stream of thoughts flowed through his mind,_ 'Shadow does kind of look like me… and in this lighting, it would hardly matter what he looked like as long as our silhouettes matched. And they do! Maybe I can get Amy to latch onto him while I find a way out of the woods. At the very least, dumping her on Shadow will give me some time to get away. But Shadow's not one for parties; he's probably gonna leave before Amy gets here, especially if he has his emerald with him.'_

"Sonic!" the petite hedgehog shouted.

The cerulean hedgehog's head shot back in the direction of her voice; it was much closer now. As his emerald eyes moved to the source of the voice, he caught a flash of vivid spring green light in his peripheral vision. Curious, he slowly turned his head back to the ground and his eyes locked onto a glowing green gem embedded in the shallow grass of the clearing. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked back to the ebony hedgehog before him. Shadow analyzed Sonic's face before he, too, stole a quick glance of the emerald.

'_He must have dropped it when I ran into him,'_ the blue hero inferred. Emerald orbs met with that of his rival; his dark counterpart grimaced menacingly at Sonic. Completely forgetting about Amy, who was now incredibly close to him and Shadow, Sonic lunged for the emerald.

A defensive growl escaped the dark hedgehog's lips as he reached out his arms to prevent the cerulean hedgehog from reaching the emerald. But right at that moment, a relieved pink hedgehog leapt into his outstretched arms and embraced him happily.

"Oh, Sonic!" Amy squealed, "I'm so glad I finally found you!" She squeezed Shadow tightly around his waist and burrowed her muzzle into the white fur on his chest. Sonic smirked and winked at the ebony hedgehog teasingly, while he, in turn, glared back at him furiously. Shadow wriggled in Amy's arms, trying to escape. The pink hedgehog felt his chest rumble with anger and looked up to see his face with a small frown, "Sonic? What's wrong?" Then her vision adjusted and she realized that she was holding the wrong hedgehog. "Shadow?" she questioned, her innocent eyes widening in shock and embarrassment.

Shadow gently pulled her arms from around his waist and placed them at her sides. Then, he grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I am not Sonic; learn the difference," he said in a monotone voice and then he shifted his gaze back to the amused blue hedgehog.

Sonic was now grinning victoriously as he watched their interaction. _'Now's my chance to get a head start!'_ he thought. "Catch ya later, Shadow!" he exclaimed, giving a mock salute and taking off back the way he came.

A deep scowl set into the ebony hedgehog's features as he watched the cerulean hero disappear into the woods. _'How could I have let him take the emerald? I should have picked it up immediately after I dropped it. Now I have to waste my time tracking down Faker.'_

While Shadow analyzed his situation, Amy was still in his grasp. She looked down, shifted her weight form her left foot to her right, and twiddled her thumbs nervously. _'Why is he still holding onto me?' _she wondered, _'Maybe I should say something.'_

"Shadow, I'm sorry I confused you for Sonic again. I know you and Sonic look different, but it was dark and I just got confused for a minute… I apologize for latching onto you like that," she said contritely. A few minutes passed; Amy was watching him with nervous eyes. The male remained silent, his gaze turned away from her. "Uhh— Shadow?" she called softly.

'_When I find Sonic I shall…' _the black and red hedgehog's thoughts were interrupted by a small voice. He glanced downward and realized that the pink hedgehog was still in his grasp. All anger left his face and he stared at her in shock for a moment before he quickly regained his composure and released her. "Hmph. I will be leaving now," he said in a solemn voice. "Wait!" Amy pleaded, but before the words left her mouth, Shadow had taken off after the blue blur.

The rose girl was now alone in the woods, both male hedgehogs gone from her sight. Amy leaned against a tree and slowly slid down the trunk, sighing the whole way down. She felt a huge lump in her throat and her eyes watered. "Oh great! How are you going to get yourself out of this one Amy?" she whimpered in self-pity. She balled her hands into fists and hastily wiped her eyes. _'Just like always, I'm going to have to save myself.' _ Then she pushed herself up from the ground and started jogging after Shadow into the forest.

Shadow skated though the forest, trying to find a sign of the emerald thief. He created a steady stream of wind that beat against his face and quills as he sprinted through the forest. His feet passed gracefully and swiftly over every twig, stone, and tree root in his path. _'__This is a large forest; he could be anywhere. He is probably going to the fox inventor's house… or is he? Perhaps he's not foolish enough to run to the first place I would look for him; not after robbing me. So where could he be?'_ Shadow thought as his eyes examined his surroundings while he ran.

Shadow continued to run through the forest, though not at his top speed. _'There will be plenty of time for his punishment,' _he thought, giving himself a satisfied smirk. As he continued to 'jog' through the forest, his keen ears picked up rushed and uneven footsteps about half a mile behind him. Ready to face any threat, he planted his feet into the soft dirt of the forest floor and stood tall as he waited for the intruder. He chuckled lightly to himself. _'Perhaps Sonic got lost.' _The thought entertained Shadow and he grinned maliciously. A few minutes passed before a small figure running toward him came into the male's eyesight. Ruby eyes widened in disbelief. _'She's still here?'_

Amy was about to slow down; she had been sprinting for a long time and her stamina was running out. Just as she was about to slow down to a jog, she looked forward and saw Shadow standing in one spot with one eyebrow raised and a slightly baffled expression. With a grunt of relief, she continued at her full speed towards the still hedgehog.

"Shadow!" the petite hedgehog's voice could be heard from afar. As soon as Amy reached him, she wiped cold sweat from her forehead, bent over putting her hands on her knees, and took deep breaths as her chest pounded frantically.

The dark hedgehog waited for her to stand up again and control her breathing before speaking. "Why are you still here?"

Amy shifted her weight and responded, embarrassed, "I need help getting out of this forest. I don't know my way around here… plus with all the obstacles around and the dim light, getting out by myself will probably take me hours. But you know your way around here, don't you?"

_'I should have realized that she cannot make it out of here alone,' _Shadow thought. He looked at her desperate eyes; she seemed distressed and somewhat anxious. He then thought about what she was asking. _'It would be wrong of me to leave her out here, lost and unprotected. And she may know where Faker has run off to. I suppose I will help her.' _He crossed his arms and walked closer to the pink hedgehog. Amy watched his movements warily yet hopefully. "Alright Rose; I will help you. But first you must tell me if you know where Sonic may have gone to after leaving the forest," Shadow said. Amy opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off. "Besides Tails' house..." he specified, watching her expression change.

Amy brought her hand to her chin, wrinkled her nose, and looked upwards; thinking deeply about all of the possible places Sonic could have run to. Places like local chili-dog stands and beaches where Sonic was usually found seemed like inappropriate hiding spots. _'Sonic wouldn't hide somewhere he could be found easily. So where else would he be?' __She stopped for a moment and gazed at Shadow with a baffled expression. "Why are you looking for Sonic anyway?" she asked curiously. Shadow was thrown off guard for a moment. __'It would be pointless to inform her of the blue one's trickery.' __Shadow uncrossed his arms and simply answered: "Business." Amy shrugged her shoulders dismissively and continued her mental search for Sonic. _After a few minutes of thoughtful consideration, a location popped into her mind and she snapped her fingers. "I got it!" she said happily, looking back to Shadow. _'Has he been watching me this whole time?' _Amy wondered as she noticed Shadow staring at her with intent and expectant eyes.

"Where?" the male hedgehog asked.

"Well, I'm not completely sure, but my best bet is that he's in the botanical garden in Station Square Central Park," she said knowingly, "It may sound a bit public for a hiding place, but he likes to walk through the tall hedge maze at the center. I think it makes him feel at peace or something. That's why whenever I see him going, I leave him alone. And since I've never followed him there, I think that would be the most probable place to find him." As she finished the last sentence, her tone saddened slightly and she averted her gaze from Shadow.

The crimson striped hedgehog nodded once and then closed his eyes, "Unfortunately I cannot Chaos Control us out of here because of my lack of the emerald's power. We'll have to travel by foot."

"What happened to the emerald Shadow?" Amy asked tilting her head to the side like a curious child.

"I misplaced it," he said with a hint of malice in his voice. Amy could tell that she wasn't going to get any more info out of him so she stayed quiet. Shadow glanced at her before mumbling:

"Shall we get back to the issue of transportation?"

Amy blinked twice and then let her arms fall loosely to her side. "Well, we both know you can run superfast, but I can't. Plus I'm tired from straining to make it this far."

Shadow thought about this for a moment, _'I don't like the idea of Sonic keeping the emerald any longer than necessary.'_ Ruby orbs watched the tired female as she flopped down on the ground exhaustedly. _'She must have used all of her energy trying to keep up with me.'_ Annoyed, he rubbed his temple with his right hand, _'We must use my strength and speed then.'_ The rose girl watched his movements with curiosity as he approached her and offered his hands to pull her back up from the ground. Amy cautiously accepted and placed her hands in Shadow's. He then pulled her up promptly and she almost knocked them both into the ground. Instead, she caught herself and lightly fell into his arms. Amy blushed a deep red and stumbled clumsily out of his embrace. Shadow sighed to himself, with a very slight blush lingering on his cheeks as he turned away from Amy.

"Get on my back," he ordered.

Amy cocked her head slightly to the right and continued to gaze at the male. "Why?" she asked innocently.

The ebony hedgehog grimaced and walked swiftly over to the girl, "I can get us both out of this forest faster with my speed. In your current condition, you won't be able to keep up with me for long will fall behind." Amy nodded bashfully. After reasoning with her, Shadow crouched down low so that she could climb on his back.

"Thank you Shadow!" the petite hedgehog exclaimed gratefully. Amy rested her hands on the dark hedgehog's wiry, shoulders and hoisted herself onto his back. She fitted herself precisely between the two quills on his back that acted as short walls, locking her in place, and then she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Shadow then stood up slowly and turned his head to the right, his eyes searching for Amy's face. "That's not necessary," he said, referring to her legs, "However, I do suggest that you place your arms around my neck. I will be traveling at high speeds and just gripping my shoulders will not be enough to keep you on my back."

The rose hedgehog blushed slightingly as she removed her legs from around the male's waist. Bad move. Now she was holding on forcefully to his shoulders to keep herself from falling to the ground. Shadow lurched backward a few steps and then stood firm. He shook his head and circled his arms beneath her knees, holding her up so that she could move her arms. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled. "Sorry Shadow," she said sheepishly.

Shadow sighed quietly.

"Hold on tight."

Amy obediently squeezed her arms firmly around his neck. She then turned her head to the right and lay against the soft fur between his shoulder blades. The ebony hedgehog activated his air shoes and started to make his way to the city through his own familiar territory. The couple's surroundings had blended together into unidentifiable walls of dark color and hardly any sound could be heard above the roaring of the air in their ears. While Shadow focused on getting to the city, Amy found herself becoming drowsy.

_'I guess this day took more out of me than I thought. Maybe it would be best to call it a day and just go after Sonic tomorrow. Yeah, that's what I'll do. As soon as we get to the city I'll just walk home and get some rest.' __Amy thought, her eyelids drooping as she yawned softly._

"It shouldn't be long now," said Shadow in response her involuntary action. Not long after this declaration, both hedgehogs caught faint traces of city lights between the trees in the distance. _'Soon I will reach Sonic and get the emerald back from him,'_ Shadow thought as the dimness around them began to dissipate and turn into silvery-gray light. The moon was a wide, pearly crescent in the deep indigo sky. It was easy to see the vibrant twinkling of the stars above since they were still a distance away from the city lights. The night was chilly; Amy shivered unconsciously snuggled deeper into the warm fur on Shadow's back, but he paid no mind to it.

After two minutes of running, they erupted from the deep forest and sped through the city. It didn't take long for the ebony hedgehog to find the park; it was one of his favorite places. "Who would have thought the Faker and I would have something in common?" he scoffed quietly as he came to a stop at the front gate.

"What?" asked Amy as she poked her head into his peripheral vision from his right side.

Reserving the comment for himself, he responded: "We're here."

"Oh." Amy replied quietly. She proceeded to climb down from Shadow's back. Then she watched him intently as he turned to face her. A minute passed as they stared into each other's glimmering eyes, as if they both were trying to read the other's mind. Finally ending the silence, Shadow said:

"This is where we will part ways Rose." Amy's eyes softened and she looked at Shadow with gratitude in her glowing jade eyes.

"Well, thank you for your help Shadow. Maybe I'll see you around sometime?" the pink hedgehog said politely.

"Perhaps," he answered casually.

Amy waved a hand at him as she started to walk down the sidewalk. "Bye Shadow," she called and then she turned around and disappeared into the city.

Shadow watched her walk away until he couldn't see her anymore and then he turned back to the park entrance. The gate was closed and had a heavy metal padlock on it. He then peered over at the brick wall and approached it slowly. He placed both of his hands in crevasses between the bricks and stepped with one foot on top of another stone. They were smooth and slightly slippery so he decided to try an easier way of getting over.

The black and red hedgehog lowered himself back down and looked upwards. The wall seemed to be about then feet tall, _'Hmm… I could probably jump this wall, but there are a lot of trees with low branches next to the wall that would be easy to climb.' _He walked over to a tall, thin tree that was just outside the wall and close to the gate. He bent his knees and looked for the branch that was closest to him. When it was in sight, he pushed off the ground and sliced through the air, speeding right towards the branch. He reached out his arms, swung his body over the side, and landed atop the small ledge. _'In about two more branches, I'll be at the top of the wall,' _he calculated. He repeated the same procedure twice and then leapt forward to the top of the wall.

From atop the wall, the dark hedgehog was able to see many parts of the park below. He searched for the flower garden and immediately spotted the hedge maze. From his aerial view he was also able to see Sonic, who was strolling slowly through the bushes while tossing the green chaos emerald up and down in his left hand. "He's so careless," he muttered; then he stealthily jumped down from the wall and started walking towards the maze.

Meanwhile, Sonic was thinking about what to do with the emerald, _'I bet Shadow is pretty mad right now. Maybe taking the emerald from him was a bad idea and he's probably on his way here to get it back now.'_ He stopped tossing the powerful gem and looked at it closely, _'At least I got away from Amy; plus he had to bring her out of the forest, right?'_ He began to chuckle, _'My plan worked like a charm! She came at just the right moment, and I was able to escape.' _The cerulean hero sighed, _'I wish Amy could see how annoying it is being chased every day. I wonder if there's a way to stop her... since running isn't enough anymore. Maybe I should get a body guard.'_ He stopped walking when his thoughts stumbled on to something interesting. Then he thought, thoroughly amused, _'If Shadow were in charge of blocking out Amy, he'd make it impossible for her to chase me, which means she'd eventually have to give up and leave me alone.'_

"Wouldn't that be something?" Sonic said to himself quietly.

"And what would _that_ be?" a deep voice inquired.

The blue hedgehog tensed up. _'I know that voice.'_ He turned his head slowly towards the source of the question and found none other than Shadow the Hedgehog approaching him through the wall of hedges. Sonic stood up straight and turned his body toward his unwelcomed company. "Hello, Shadow," he said formally, wearing a poker face as his dark counterpart came closer.

"Give me the emerald, Sonic," the ebony hedgehog said frankly and gravely, stopping one foot away from the hero and putting out his hand.

Sonic hesitated for a moment, _'He looks like he means business; I wonder how far Shadow would go to get this emerald back.'_ Emerald eyes met ruby; a new challenge, _'Let's find out!'_ He began by trying to measure the dark hedgehog's patience, "Alright, Shadow. I will give you back your emerald if you do me a favor."

Shadow narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and then he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you want?" he inquired.

The impish blue hedgehog blinked once in surprise and thought, _'I didn't think he'd even consider doing anything for me!'_ Sonic secured the green gem firmly in his hand; _'The emerald sure is useful… If I knew he was going to agree I would've thought of some errands ahead of time. Hmmm, what would be something useful that Shadow could do for me?'_ Then, Sonic remembered his previous thoughts and came up with the perfect demand. His lips curled slowly into a mischievous grin and then he looked to his right, trying to contain his laughter. When he overcame the urge to laugh, he faced Shadow and named his request.

"I need you to be my body guard," he said simply, curious as to how his dark counterpart would react.

The ebony hedgehog raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Excuse me?"

"I said that I want you to be my body guard," the hero repeated.

"I do not understand— why do you need a body guard? You can protect this whole city and not yourself?" Shadow asked.

The moonlight drenched the smooth, cobblestone ground in a pale blue light and made their surroundings visible as the cerulean hedgehog strolled closer to the center. _'Will he actually go along with it?'_ he wondered, surprised that Shadow had not tried to fight him for the emerald yet.

The black and red hedgehog was thinking: _'I am curious about Sonic's intentions. I'll listen to his explanation and then take the emerald back when he least expects it.'_

"Well," Sonic began, clearing his throat, "I need someone to protect me from Amy. Maybe you can stop her when she's chasing after me, or follow her around to keep an eye on her and more importantly: keep her away from me."

The dark hedgehog glared at Sonic, "Why do you want me to do such a thing?"

"I'm sure you remember what happened in the woods, right?" the hero asked, positive that Shadow remembered it all too well.

The crimson and ebony hedgehog's face became more serious and his eyes glinted with disgusted anger, "When you stole the emerald from me? Or when you left your defenseless pink _friend _out in the cold to fend for herself? You have the audacity to call yourself a hero and then you throw a child into the unknown. It _disgusts _me," Shadow growled, his expression radiating disapproval now. Sonic dropped his persuasive façade for a minute and stared at Shadow forlornly. "_Amy,_" he whispered. Then he regained his composure and cleared his voice.

"Is she okay?"

"I'm sure."

"Did you bring her back?"

"She is not of my concern, but unlike you, I went out of my way to help the girl back to safety," Shadow sneered. Sonic became aggravated at Shadow's malicious taunting.

"I would've done the same thing!" he declared, raising his voice.

"Oh would you? Is that why you led her into the woods and dumped her on me the first chance you got?" Sonic's face flushed bright red with anger.

"Amy's not a child anymore; she knows how to take care of herself!"

"So you actually see her enough to know this?"

"Since when do you care about Amy?" Sonic yelled.

Shadow bowed his head slightly and thoughtfully gazed at the ground for a moment. "I have no particular preference or worry for the girl; however I would assist her again if she should ever need my service. She seems to have a good spirit." Sonic returned to normal color and sighed.

"Right," Sonic nodded and added, "Anyway, I'm sure you remember when she caught you in her death grip because she thought you were me. And I'm pretty sure you know this, but I want to confirm that this happens to me almost every single day. And if she hasn't already caught me, then she's running after me and trying her hardest to reach me. I know she's just a young girl… but I can't as much as eat a chili-dog without having her after me. And I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain to you how… inconvenient it is to be caught by Amy."

Shadow scoffed and closed his eyes, "Get to the point, Faker."

"I can't stop her," Sonic finished and then waited for Shadow's reply.

"And how is that _my_ issue?" the black hedgehog inquired.

The blue hero thought about an explanation to give Shadow, other than simply relying on him to solve his problems. When he thought of something presentable, he spoke in a knowledgeable tone, "You're the Ultimate Lifeform! Maybe you can stop her from chasing me. Think of it as a mission!" Then he brought up his hand with the Chaos Emerald tauntingly and continued, "Plus I have something to bribe you with."

Shadow opened his eyes just as the impish blue hedgehog showed him the emerald. His chest started to rumble with impatience and rage, "Perhaps I should just fight you for the emerald instead!" He crouched down close to the ground and got ready strike.

'_I should've known that he wouldn't accept this easily, but I'm really starting to like this idea. I'll have to find a good reason for Shadow not to take the emerald from me,'_ thought Sonic.

Silence fell over the two and Shadow was losing his patience rather quickly. Right as he was about to strike, the cerulean hedgehog turned away from him. The dark hedgehog straightened himself and waited for the hero to speak.

"I guess you could fight me, Shadow," Sonic said nonchalantly, peering over his shoulder at his rival, "But I have the advantage with the emerald. Remember that I can use Chaos Control as well, and I can easily teleport away, taking your emerald with me."

The cerulean hedgehog's words seemed to sink in, as they sounded reasonable. Shadow considered his options while Sonic patiently stood by. _'He does hold a valid argument. If I can't take the emerald from him, then what should I do?'_ he thought briefly and then he realized something. _'There are six more emeralds besides that one. I can just go and find any one of them tomorrow. I don't need that one; I will let the Faker do what he pleases with it,'_ he reasoned. The ebony hedgehog walked past Sonic and said while smirking: "I don't need **that** emerald Faker. I will just find another to suit my purposes."

Thinking quickly, Sonic followed him and caught up to him. Shadow shifted his gaze over to the blue one, who was now at his side, "Wait Shadow!"

'_He is persistent,'_ the dark hedgehog mentally noted and then asked, "Yes?"

"You can't just go find another Chaos Emerald," Sonic said hastily.

"Oh? And why not?" Shadow asked skeptically.

Sonic thought quickly, "Because I hid the others earlier! The rest have been in my possession for a while to avoid Eggman from taking them! And I knew you would go looking for them so I hid them!"

The ebony hedgehog ground his teeth viciously and spat out, "Oh did you now?"

The cerulean hedgehog nodded and tossed the emerald once again in his palm, "Yup, it's a hero's job to keep the world safe you know!" He paused and then continued teasingly grinning at his rival, "The only way for you to get emerald power now is by helping me out."

"So you had our little encounter earlier today planned out then, hmm?" asked Shadow, seething at his point.

'_I might as well let him think that if it helps my side,'_ Sonic thought passively. "More or less," he began, "I didn't exactly plan on crashing into you, but in the end my plan worked out anyway."

The crimson and black hedgehog growled malevolently and glared at the emerald thief before turning to leave him. "I suppose I will consider your terms," he grumbled, and then he walked around a sharp turn in the maze and disappeared.

Sonic blinked twice and gazed down at the emerald, _'I can't believe that worked. But now I'll have to hide the remaining emeralds tomorrow; knowing Shadow, he'll probably go looking for them.'_ He grinned, _'I can't believe he might actually stop Amy! This should be interesting…'_

"My mission now is to stop Amy Rose from chasing the Faker… it shouldn't be too difficult. I suppose I will start tomorrow morning," Shadow the Hedgehog muttered. He jumped to the ground and started to walk back to the forest at the edge of the town. He preferred living outdoors, even though he had a room at the GUN headquarters.

It was almost midnight now and the ebony hedgehog immediately regretted not fighting Sonic._ 'Now I cannot use Chaos Control,'_ he thought angrily, '_I shouldn't have become dependent on its power. For now, running will suffice.'_

The dark male sprinted down the main street at his fastest speed. He sliced through the air so quickly that he only felt wind resistance with the strength of a feather. After a few minutes of high speed running, he reached tree line of the forest and stopped.

The crimson and black hedgehog climbed up the nearest tree and laid his back against the rough bark, trying to drift off to sleep. He hadn't realized how tense he'd been until his back muscles relaxed and curved to fit comfortably with the trunk. He closed his eyes and folded his hands over his abdomen, debating Sonic's offer. _'Though the idea does not please me, I will complete my mission and take back what is rightfully mine,'_ he thought determinedly, right before falling into a deep and dreamless slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Confrontation**

Shadow strolled through Station Square in search of Sonic. He didn't plan on wasting a single, precious moment of time that could be spent on obtaining the Emerald.

'_I bet that joker is so proud of his inane little scheme,' _Shadow thought, remembering the contract that Sonic had put him under. He sighed in irritation as he paced through the crowded, noisy city. The setting only irritated him more because he preferred the secluded little forest at the edge of the city and its simple pleasures to the obnoxious bustle of the busy people and the unpleasant sting of the sun's burning rays that reflected off of the mirror-tile buildings.

Shadow's mind lingered on his assignment and while he continued to make his way through the city, he unconsciously headed toward Amy's house. When he finally regained enough focus to recognize his surroundings, he noticed Amy closing her front door and leaving her home in high spirits. He swiftly ducked into the small alley between Amy and her neighbor's fences on the side of her house and kept his gaze locked on her small form, noticing different attire than usual. Amy was wearing a white tank top with red, horizontal stripes and pink sporty shorts with a red hoodie wrapped around her waist. Shadow even took note of a red, pink, and white pair of women's running shoes.

'_She must be getting ready to hunt down Sonic. I suppose I'll just follow her until I see him; that is when I'll step in. I also must obey his request that I do not inform Amy of our agreement. For now I'll remain in the shadows and allow her to make the first move.'_

Shadow walked out from the alley and scaled the closest skyscraper he could find. He made sure to always have her in his sight without being in hers. As Shadow hopped from building to building, Amy jogged far below him while thinking about what had happened only yesterday.

_'Is Sonic in that forest again? If he is, I'm still not going in there again; I would only get lost and end up being a burden again. It was nice of Shadow to help me yesterday. He seemed to be in a hurry to find Sonic, but he still stopped to take me home. It was surprising that Sonic didn't check to make sure I was safe, being a hero and all. I certainly never expected sympathy from Shadow. Then again, I haven't spent any real time with him so I really shouldn't make assumptions. But something's been bothering me; Shadow looked really angry at Sonic in the clearing. I wonder what made him so angry! Maybe Sonic will tell me when I find him…'_

Amy continued to jog down the sidewalk, keeping her eyes peeled for a handsome blue hedgehog. She was about to pass an auto parts shop when she saw a double tailed yellow fox through the display window. Amy turned on her heels and pushed open the door to the shop, catching the focused boy's attention.

"Hey Tails!" Amy called happily, walking up to the fox. _'Since they're best friends, Tails should know where he's run off to.'_

"Hi Amy!" He replied with equal cheer, turning away from the shelves of car manuals.

"Whatcha' looking for?" Amy asked, hoping to casually and politely work her way towards the question she _really_ wanted to ask.

"Well, I'm just looking at a few car parts and manuals for inspiration. The X-Tornado is great, but since Eggman's been gone for a while and there have been no new threats for a long time, I thought that I should take this time to develop a more advanced fighting plane for tougher opponents. I'd rather be safe than sorry!" he laughed, glancing back towards the fully stocked shelves.

"Any luck yet?" asked Amy. Tails' shoulders slumped in defeat as he sighed.

"I'm afraid not Amy; human cars just aren't very powerful and these parts hardly compare to the X-Tornado as it is! I think I came to the wrong place for this kind of stuff," he said with evident disappointment in his voice. _'He's probably about to leave the store,' Amy thought, "I'd better get to the point now.'_

"Uh, Tails?"

"Yeah Amy?"

"Could you please tell me where Sonic is?" Tails looked at her questioningly, pondering whether or not he should release that information to her. However, Amy could tell that he knew. "It's very important; I have a, a delivery for him!" she spurted out, quickly improvising in order for him to trust her. The young fox's head tilted slightly towards his left shoulder and his long bangs gently swished to the side, revealing the curiosity in his eyes.

"What are you delivering?" he asked cautiously. _'Think fast Amy; what would be delivered to Sonic the Hedgehog?' _Amy thought.

"Well~, I just came from Cream's house and she wanted me to give Sonic a special chilidog recipe from her new cookbook to try out. She knows that Sonic isn't exactly the cooking type, but since he loves chilidogs so much, she figures that maybe he'll give it a shot."

"Oh," Tails said relieved, falling for Amy's façade, "Well you don't have to go to all the trouble of finding him to deliver the recipe. Just hand it to me and I'll make sure that he gets it on his next visit," Tails said helpfully, flashing Amy a gracious smile.

"That's so kind of you Tails but I have to deliver it because Cream wants me to inform Sonic about a secret ingredient that she absolutely insists is added in the chili. I would let you pass it on, but it's not my secret to share so I'll just deliver the recipe as well. I appreciate the offer though, but besides, you seem busy anyway. Tails only shrugged before telling Amy that Sonic had headed out to the cliffs that stood high about the Emerald Coast. Amy exhaled sharply and muttered: "It's never easy, is it?"

"I'm sorry, what was that Amy," Tails asked, not hearing her comment.

"It was nothing Tails; I'm just thinking that I should get a move on now. See you later; good luck with your inspiration!"

"Thanks Amy!" Tails called as Amy rushed out the front door.

'_So he's not with the fox,' _Shadow deduced. _'Then where did Tails direct Amy to? She seems to be headed towards the beach, but Sonic hates water. Why would she go there alone? It wouldn't be good to leave the subject unmonitored. I have to remember that this is an important mission which means that I must execute the objective. Amy Rose will not leave my sight.' _Shadow returned to ground level as Amy neared the other end of town. Keeping his distance, he faithfully pursued her as she jogged up the steep trails leading to the top of the cliffs. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Yeah Tails? She's on her way right now? A recipe? I never asked for one. No, it's fine; I bet it would be interesting to try out. Yes, I'm feeling okay Tails; is it a crime for me to cook once in a while? No it's not a problem; in fact, I was expecting to see Amy sometime today."

Amy's ears perked as she peeked over the edge of the elevated cliff from her lower path at Sonic who seemed to be talking into a small blue cell phone.

"I actually had to tell her something anyway." "Oh no, it's not like that." "Listen buddy, nothing personal, but I just really don't think that I can explain it to you; at least not right now." "Yeah." "Mmhm." "Glad you understand pal." "Catcha later!" Click. Sonic casually slid the phone into his right glove and whispered to himself:

"I'm sure he's keeping tabs on her right now; this is the perfect time to test my theory," he concluded. No sooner had he uttered the words than Amy Rose had strode forward along the path, gaining elevation and revealing herself to Sonic.

"What was _that_ about Sonic the Hedgehog?" Amy interrogated, hands planted firmly on her hips as she tapped her foot expectantly. She planned to get answers out of him, one way or another.

"How much did you hear?" he replied nervously.

"Enough to know that something's up; what did you mean by 'I'm sure he's keeping tabs on her right now.'? I know _her_ equals me so explain. Right as Sonic was about to improvise, Shadow swooped down between them from the sky, creating a barrier between the two. Amy's irritation faltered for a moment when she saw him.

'_Did I ever thank him for taking me out of the woods? Maybe I should now,' _thought Amy but as she took a step forward before announcing her thankfulness, Shadow spread out his arms, completely blocking her from Sonic. With the moment now ruined, Amy snapped her fingers and summoned her Piko Piko hammer. She clenched it angrily and sneered at Shadow.

"Get out of the way Shadow; I came to see Sonic, not you!" she commanded, scaring off a few of the birds that had been in the area. Shadow didn't even flinch. He just stood his guard and focused in on Amy's eyes, gauging her next few moves based on her eye movements. But Amy already knew that she could not pass Shadow, yet she was determined not to show this on her face. Her icy expression and iron grip on the hammer radiated persistence and power. Before things could turn violent though, Sonic said:

"It's fine Shadow; let her come with me. You can trust me," he said calmly, watching with wonder as Shadow reluctantly stepped away from between Amy and him. Shadow stared at Sonic during this process with a hint of confusion evident on his face as Sonic sent him an assuring heads up. He had certainly not failed the mission.

"We'll be right back Shadow," Sonic said. Then he wrapped an arm around Amy's shoulders and whispered in her ear.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure," Amy replied warily, although she was excited to be wrapped in his arm. They walked slightly inland under huge shady trees as Sonic raked through his imagination to find an explanation for both Shadow's actions and his. Meanwhile, Shadow sat at the edge of the cliff and smirked to himself as he watched the two hedgehogs walk out of his earshot…or so they thought.

'_How amusing it will be to watch Sonic squirm under Amy's wrath. There is no logical explanation for my behavior; Amy will find out about the deal, force Sonic to return my emerald, and I will be free to leave these two with my sanity intact.' _

When Sonic thought that they were out of Shadow's hearing range, he stopped and turned Amy to face him.

"So…"he began, trying to stall for time, but Amy was not falling for it.

"Explain,"Amy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, _"__**Now**__." _Beads of nervous sweat started to roll down his face.

"Well, I would explain all of it to you, bu~t, Shadow would…"

"Shadow would what?" Amy inquired, getting increasingly impatient by the second.

"Shadow would kill me if I told you. He's uh, he's experiencing some unfamiliar feelings right now," Sonic improvised, disappointed with his lying skills.

"What are you trying to say? Does he have a crush on me or something?" Amy asked, confused. Sonic silently thanked Amy for giving him this opportunity and decided to go for it. It was a long shot, but it was all he had. Plus, Sonic knew that Amy had a large enough ego to believe that she could evoke feelings from Shadow.

"Darn! You've figured it out!" Sonic exclaimed, putting on his best act. "Listen Amy, Shadow can't know that you know this; you have to keep it a secret okay? He doesn't even know that I know," Sonic pleaded. Amy, ignoring his request, started making inferences.

"Is that why he was blocking me from you just now? Because he was jealous?"

"Yup," Sonic nodded knowingly. Amy shook her head.

"And that's why he was so mad at you in the woods, isn't it? I was chasing you again, and he got upset when I thought he was you!" She concluded, snapping her fingers. It took everything within Sonic not to grin.

'_YES!' _he mentally cheered. _'Amy is explaining everything all on her own! Maybe this is going to be easier than I thought…'_

"So what about your "theory" then?" Amy asked, catching Sonic off-guard.

"My what?" he asked, forgetting his slip-up earlier when Amy overheard him. Amy crossed her arms.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about Sonic the Hedgehog. When I was coming up the cliff earlier, you mentioned something about testing out a theory. Well, what is it?" she asked. Sonic glanced up at the sky while digging up an explanation for Amy. All the while, Shadow was glaring murderously at Sonic.

'_Argh, damnit! Did this imbecile really have to let Amy believe that I'm attracted to her? Ridiculous! And what does that mean for my objective? Does he honestly expect me to guard him from Amy while taking on the persona of her jealous admirer? How could he be so ignorant and naïve? I'm not going through with this; I'm going to ambush him the minute she's gone and reclaim the emerald. Then, I'll teleport myself to a remote island or somewhere else where I won't have to tolerate such nuisances…'_

"Well," Sonic started, drawing out the word in an overly casual way, " my _theory_ was that Shadow would come up here and attempt to pound the blue out me when you came, which was what I wanted because I wanted to practice my moves on him. You know, in case we start seeing the bad guys around here again." Amy nodded thoughtfully.

"Well that makes sense. Unfortunately for Shadow, I'm still in love with you Sonic." Sonic sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Maybe you ought to give him a chance Amy. He seems like he would be more, um, _invested_ in a relationship with you than I would," Sonic explained. Amy shook her head.

"Sonic, that's very sweet of you to be looking out for me, but my heart belongs to you, and until you truly understand that, I'll just keep trying to show you!" she exclaimed, while a very hopeless Sonic asked:

"But what about Shadow?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine; he's probably just going through a phase right now. That's what boys do. I'm probably not the first girl he's liked, and I probably won't be the last," Amy declared matter-of-factly. Sonic just sighed again and walked back towards the cliff's edge to Shadow, while Amy followed closely behind.

Shadow was beyond livid at this point, so he took deep breath to calm his shaking body, and closed his eyes. He looked deeply concentrated on some distant thought, as if he were meditating, when Sonic and Amy came back to the spot where he was sitting. Shadow's eyes remained closed. Amy, not realizing that Shadow had overheard the entire conversation, tried to act normal.

"Well, Sonic, I guess I'll see you soon! I realize now that my timing was off." Amy paused, scanning Shadow's stone cold face for a change in expression. Nothing. After debating what to say next, she quickly added, "Goodbye Shadow!" and jogged back down the path that brought her to the cliff. Shadow merely nodded, and inhaled deeply when she left. Sonic hadn't noticed that Shadow's body had resumed its rage-induced shaking, but when he was about to explain the situation to Shadow, (he also didn't realize that Shadow had heard them) he _had noticed_ Shadow's eyes shooting open into the most malicious glare. Sonic also wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but Shadow's eyes seemed to be a deeper red than usual. A lump that felt like a basketball formed in Sonic's throat, and he struggled not to squeak when he spoke.

"So I take it you heard us?" he said casually, despite knowing that Shadow was well-aware of his fear. Shadow slowly stood up and walked inland toward Sonic. When they were face-to-face, Shadow squinted at Sonic hatefully, and spoke in his lowest, most threatening tone.

"I do not _like_ being tricked Sonic the Hedgehog. I have only agreed to keep Amy away from you. Not to act as her admirer. Not to lead her on. And certainly not to get involved in either of your personal lives," Shadow seethed. "Now since you're trying to pin more tasks onto this contract, I will force my payment out of you." And with that, Shadow lunged for Sonic's throat. Sonic evaded the attack, as Shadow tried again. This time, he successfully pinned Sonic to the ground and quickly rose to his feet, enclosing Sonic's neck under his sturdy rocket shoe. Sonic gasped and clutched at the shoe for air. When Shadow let up slightly, Sonic exclaimed:

"Fighting me won't help; I've hidden your emerald too and unless you complete your assignment, no amount of pain will get you your emerald back," he taunted proudly. Shadow growled and, after a minute more of holding him to the ground, he let Sonic go.

"It would be a more productive use of my time to just kill you right now and then go searching for the emeralds…" Shadow muttered. Sonic gulped nervously, but then boldly continued:

"You wouldn't do that Shadow; it never worked for you before. Plus, without the Chaos Emerald, I imagine that your powers are running at lower levels than usual." Shadow's eyes widened in surprise and rage at his words, and he opened his mouth to speak, but was abruptly cut off by Sonic.

"And suppose you did kill me? Then what? My friends and probably the world would be upset and would start chasing you. You would never be able to stop running. Granted that you're immortal, I'm sure waking up to a never-ending angry mob doesn't suit your fancy. Then again, you could kill them all too, but I think that, no matter how tough you act and how much you separate yourself from everyone else, you care about these people, and you wouldn't enjoy living on this planet, or any for that matter, by yourself," Sonic said, gauging Shadow's expression as he finished. There was silence as Shadow looked to the ground and contemplated Sonic's prophecy. Then, he turned toward the cliff's edge and looked up at the sky.

"Maria cared about these people, and I cared about Maria. It goes hand-in-hand so, despite my agitation with the inhabitants of this planet, I plan on keeping my promise to her." Then Shadow turned his head back to Sonic, his expression cold as a stone once more.

"So what do you ask of me now?" Sonic blinked hard, wondering how Shadow could transition from reminiscing to asking for a briefing so quickly.

"Well Shadow," Sonic began, "You've done well this morning, and now there's a cover for it so you shouldn't run into anymore problems. Since she thinks you like her now, you don't have to be secretive about following her anymore, but I'll leave that up to you. Amy is not hesitant about making a scene whenever she's upset, and I'm pretty sure that you don't want to draw in negative attention again. Oh! And you don't have to act like you have a crush on her; if she sees you following, she'll assume that's why. If she doesn't see you following her, then she'll think that you're trying to deal with your 'feelings,'" Shadow snorted, but Sonic continued. "Anyway, I picked up this tracking device at Tails' house. I think he was modifying a few of these in case another villain rolled into town, but Eggman's kept himself off the radar for a while, and there are no new threats around, so I doubt that he will miss it. I was thinking that you could use it to know when I'm nearby, so that it will be easier for you to sway Amy off track. This device," Sonic held up the tracking radar, which looked like a smartphone, "is supposed to beep at higher frequencies as you get closer to me." Then, Sonic slipped a microchip into his right glove. "Now, at first, I didn't think this clever little gadget would work, because when I turned it on, I didn't hear anything," Sonic recalled, admiring the technology, " but after reading Tail's notes, the ones I understood anyway, I realized that Tails had tweaked it so that the beeping noise was at a higher pitch than the average ear could pick up. He also designed a special earpiece so that he could hear the beeping when the device was used, but knowing you I decide that it wasn't necessary," Sonic reasoned, while Shadow just watched him thoughtfully. He was surprised that Sonic had put so much thought into this one objective.

"So Shadow, let's try it out to make sure it works," said Sonic. Shadow nodded and grabbed the tracking device. Sonic then walked about 100 yards away from Shadow and hid behind a tree. "Okay Shadow, turn it on!" Shadow pushed the device's "on" button and the touchscreen lit up. There was a settings menu running vertically down the right side of the screen, which took up about 1/3 of the screen's space. Within the remaining area of the screen was a large, red, circular button with a power symbol on it. Shadow tapped it and immediately began to hear a high pitched beeping, coming in rapid succession. He then walked closer to Sonic, and as he did so, the pace of the beeping picked up. Understanding how the device worked now, he turned it off and walked over to Sonic.

"The device works," Shadow said simply as Sonic grinned.

"Great! I'll let you play with the settings on it and we'll see how this works out," Sonic optimistically responded. Then, as he turned to leave, Shadow forcefully grabbed his wrist. Sonic wheeled around and instinctively jerked his arm away.

"Geez Shadow, you don't have to be so forceful all the time! What is it?" he asked, agitated that Shadow was just standing there being unrepentant and distant as always. Ignoring his outburst, Shadow inquired:

"Why are you going into so much detail for this one objective? You seem to be taking this more seriously than you take protecting the Earth," Sonic was taken by surprise.

"Huh, I guess you've got a good point there," Sonic admitted, as Shadow raised his eyebrows when Sonic said "guess." Then he rubbed his chin, trying to find a suitable explanation for both Shadow and himself. After a minute, he looked back at Shadow.

"Shadow, do you believe in the pursuit of happiness?" Shadow thought about it briefly.

"To some extent."

"Well Shadow, this is mine," Sonic declared, and with nothing else to be said, he started walking back down the cliff, contemplating what he just said. Shadow observed him until his thoughtful form disappeared from sight. Then he sighed.

"His kind is so confusing," Shadow concluded, perching on the cliff's edge and playing with the tracker's settings.


End file.
